CPOMS: A teacher's guide

What is CPOMs?

Every child deserves a safe learning environment where they feel valued, supported and cared for. This means ensuring that every child has access to high-quality education and experiences opportunities to develop their potential.

CPOMS (Child Protection Online Management System) is the leading provider of student safeguarding software to schools in the UK. It helps schools record incidents of harm and abuse so that they can learn from past mistakes and prevent future occurrences. It also enables schools to identify trends and patterns of harm and abuse, allowing them to intervene earlier and better support vulnerable pupils.

CPOMS Systems–by Raptor Technologies, the leading provider of school safety software in the US–is an edtech business trusted by over 15,300 establishments spanning the UK, Ireland, Africa, Asia, Canada, USA and wider Europe. Schools use it to keep track of incidents of harm and abuse against children, and to monitor the effectiveness of their responses to those incidents in school. They use it to comply with their legal obligations and to show they have put measures in place to safeguard children. 

Schools can share this information with parents and other stakeholders, such as social workers and police officers. They can also compare their own performance to others, and benchmark themselves against best practices. Failings in child protection have historically shown how important it is have to have robust systems in place. A service provider is required to provide the best care for children and the senior leaders will need to keep track of all the important information they collect and receive. Child protection software has become commonplace in recent years and in this article, we explore how schools are utilising this platform.

‍

‍

‍

Why do schools use the CPOMS system?

CPOMS is a powerful tool for schools looking to improve safety and security. It allows them to keep track of every aspect of their safeguarding policies and procedures and ensures that they are followed by all staff in school. 

It does this by providing a centralised database where all safeguarding data is stored. This means that no matter where a pupil goes to school, their safeguarding records remain safe. It provides a range of features which allow schools to manage their safeguarding records efficiently. These include:

• Every institution has its own unique requirements and processes. That's why a fully customisable interface like the found in CPOMS makes sense.

• The chronology function provides a timeline view of all the events that have occurred in a student's life. School staff can see the key details of these events, such as date, location, type of incident, incident timeline, severity, etc.—in a rich visual format. They can also add notes to each event, which can include information such as the reason behind the event, whether it was reported to the authorities. 

• Parents are often busy juggling multiple commitments and responsibilities. CPOMS has a system where you can send messages to all members of staff at your child's school via email alerts. This means that you can keep track of everything from the moment your child starts school until he/she leaves it. All internal communication is also sent via email alerts than on bits of paper. 

• CPOMS has automatic integration for Arbor, Bromcom, Engage, Facility/CMIS, Integris G2, iSAMS, Progresso, PupilAsset, ScholarPack, SchoolBase, SchoolPod, SIMS.NET, Teacher Centre, Veracross, VS & WCBS. CPOMS also offers manual integration for other MIS service providers. 

• CPOMS provides a secure way to share information across schools. It allows you to keep track of all the children in your care. This includes their D.O.B, Gender, SEN status, Medical Conditions, Incidents, Document Vault and more. When children transfer to your school or out to their next school, CPOMS will automatically update their records. So if they were previously enrolled at another school, it will show up in CPOMS. It’s easy to download the data from CPOMS to your computer so you can send it to the new school– if their new school doesn't use CPOMS.

• You can choose to generate a summary report, incident report, or a combination of both. In addition, you can filter the results by date range, location, and category.

• We all know that the Safeguarding Policy and Training Documents are essential parts of the school’s safeguarding procedures. However, sometimes you need to remind people to read these documents. You may also want to check whether they have signed off on the latest version of the document. If you want to find out if anyone has already read the documents, you can set up a file alert. When you create a file alert, you specify the type of document you want to receive alerts for. For example, if you want to receive alerts whenever a new version of the safeguarding policy is uploaded, you would select ‘safeguarding policy’ from the dropdown menu.

• CPOMS has been used by thousands of schools around the world. It is the tool of choice for protecting children from abuse. Schools love it because it is easy to use and provides great customer service. They also love it because it works.

• We understand it's challenging to find time to teach PSHE effectively within the existing curriculum. We therefore recommend that schools consider using CPOMS to support their PSHE teaching. CPOMS provides a comprehensive overview of the relationships/health/PSHE Educational outcomes that schools aim to achieve. It helps teachers identify the specific topics that need to be covered in order to meet these outcomes. It also enables schools to monitor progress towards achieving these outcomes.

‍

‍

‍

Who else Uses CPOMS?

CPOMS is used by hundreds of schools, colleges and organisations around the world. Besides being used by schools, colleges and academies, CPOMS has been adopted by local authorities, sports clubs, charities and many others.

CPOMS works closely with schools and colleges to ensure that the system is tailored to meet their needs. Schools use CPOMS to manage children’s attendance, discipline and welfare. Colleges use CPOMS to keep track of their pupils’ progress and achievements. Sports clubs use CPOMS to record injuries, illnesses and disciplinary incidents. Charities use CPOMS to monitor the wellbeing of their beneficiaries.

Schools, colleges and academies can choose to use CPOMS as a standalone solution or add additional modules to suit their requirements.

CPOMS is used to identify the need for additional support from external agencies, such as health visitors, speech therapists, social workers, and pastoral carers. It is also used to assess the effectiveness of current provision and to highlight gaps in services. 

About CPOMS STAFFSAFE

CPOMS STAFFSAFE is a web-based software designed specifically for schools and colleges. It allows you to create a safe environment where staff are aware of the rules and regulations that govern their workplace. This ensures that everyone knows exactly what is expected of them and that there is no room for confusion.

It helps you to create a comprehensive database of all adult employees, including their personal details, employment history, education history, criminal history, health issues, etc.

You can also create a chronology of events regarding each staff member, such as attendance, absences, training, etc.

Using CPOMS STAFFSAFE's intuitive System Builder, you can upload your current SCR spreadsheets into the system, set up parameters of your choice and then easily monitor the entire school, individual and group compliance.

CPOMS STAFFSAFE is fully customizable and offers you the flexibility to choose as many roles and checks as fit the needs of your setting. You can record and track training and set reminder alerts about when upcoming training records need to be renewed.

‍

‍

‍

9 Ways Schools can use CPOMS to keep Children Safe

In the complex world of education, CPOMS has emerged as a beacon of safeguarding and efficiency. Let's explore nine fictional scenarios that illustrate its potential:

1. Streamlined Communication: At St. Mary's Primary School, teachers use CPOMS to communicate with social workers and senior leaders about a student's welfare. This ensures that all parties are updated in real-time, reducing the risk of miscommunication.
2. Efficient Reporting: At Greenfield Academy, a pastoral online tool like CPOMS is used to record incidents of bullying. This allows the school to identify patterns and intervene promptly, fostering a safe learning environment.
3. Monitoring Attendance: At Riverside Primary, CPOMS is used to monitor attendance. Teachers can quickly identify patterns of absenteeism and address potential issues early.
4. Tracking Behaviour: At Oakwood High, teachers use CPOMS to track student behaviour. This allows them to identify trends, intervene when necessary, and reward positive behaviour.
5. Safeguarding Records: At Meadow View Primary, CPOMS is used to maintain safeguarding records. This ensures that all information is stored in one place, making it easier for staff to access and update records.
6. Parental Engagement: At Hilltop Academy, CPOMS is used to engage parents. Teachers can quickly and easily share updates about their child's progress, fostering a strong home-school partnership.
7. Supporting SEND Students: At Brookfield Primary, CPOMS is used to support students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Teachers can share strategies and track progress, ensuring that these students receive the support they need.
8. Managing Clubs: At Lakeside High, CPOMS is used to manage sports clubs and other extracurricular activities. This ensures that all students have the opportunity to participate and that their safety is prioritised.
9. Multi-Site Management: At the multi-site Elmwood Academy, CPOMS is used to share information across different locations. This ensures consistency and allows staff to collaborate effectively, regardless of their physical location.

In each of these scenarios, CPOMS proves to be an invaluable safeguarding tool, enhancing the safety and wellbeing of students while improving efficiency for staff. As Dr. Jenny Driscoll, a lecturer in Child Protection, states, "Effective safeguarding systems are crucial in schools. They not only protect children but also ensure that staff are supported in managing complex issues." Indeed, a study by the Department for Education found that 85% of schools reported improved safeguarding practices after implementing a system like CPOMS.

Key Insights:

• CPOMS enhances communication between staff and external agencies.
• It provides a centralised system for recording and monitoring student welfare issues.
• The system can be used to engage parents and manage extracurricular activities.

‍

CPOMS Pricing

For a 100 pupil, primary school, the annual hosted CPOMS service would cost £530; for the same-sized secondary school, it is £1055 and for a FE (Further Education) college, it is £2645. The pricing increases with the number of students.

‍

Impact of CPOMS

The benefits of using CPOMS are many. Here are just some examples:

• Teachers enter less data manually, which means they can focus on teaching.
• Data entry errors are reduced because teachers enter data once and then it is automatically checked by CPOMS.
• Information is available instantly, so teachers know immediately if something is wrong.
• Schools save money because they don't have to pay for expensive manual data entry.
• Teacher workload is reduced because they don't have the time to do things manually.
• Staff morale increases because they feel safe and protected.
• Reduce the risk of harm to children.
• Support the safeguarding of children
• Manage the risk of harm to others
• Identify children who may be vulnerable to abuse
• Schools have constant up to date accurate, reliable data.
• Parents benefit because they can see how well their children are doing.
• Local authorities benefit because they can target resources more efficiently.
• Government benefits because they can provide better services to vulnerable groups.

‍

Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed the benefits of using CPOMS in the classroom. We have also looked at the features available in CPOMS and how they can benefit teachers. Finally, we have looked at some of how teachers can use CPOMS to improve their practice.

As mentioned earlier, CPOMS is an extremely powerful tool that can save teachers valuable time and improve outcomes for children. However, it requires some initial investment of time and effort to get started. In order to ensure that teachers are getting the best value out of CPOMS, it is essential that they understand its features and functionality.

This guide aims to provide teachers with an overview of the key features of CPOMS and how it can be used to keep all children safe.

‍